Heinz Holliger honored with the Zwickau Schumann Prize
The Swiss composer and oboist Heinz Holliger has been awarded the Robert Schumann Prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, by the city of Zwickau for his "decades-long engagement with Schumann's work".
According to the city of Zwickau, Holliger's enthusiasm for Schumann was shaped by a concert in which he heard Hansheinz Schneeberger (Zwickau Schumann Prize winner in 1995) play Schumann's 2nd violin sonata at the age of 15. His first Schumann recording was made as early as 1979, in which he recorded not only the Oboe Romances op. 94 but also other Schumann duo works together with Alfred Brendel (Zwickau Schumann Prize winner in 2002).
The Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau has been awarded by the city since 1964. Holliger is the first wind player to be awarded the prize. Previous winners include Daniel Barenboim, Elliot Gardiner, András Schiff and Mitsuko Shirai. The award ceremony will take place on Friday, January 20, 2017, at 7.30 pm in the Robert Schumann House in Zwickau.
